K-HEART SPORTS - FRIDAY - 11/03/17 - PM EDITION

All four classes of high school football hold semifinal games this weekend....

MINOT, ND - All four classes of high school football hold semifinal games this weekend. We'll broadcast a Class A semi as Velva will host Langdon Area-Edmore-Munich tomorrw. Live coverage is set to begin at 1:45 pm on 1320 KHRT and online at www.khrt.com

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) - The Green Bay Packers have activated linebacker Vince Biegel from the reserve/physically unable to perform list. The rookie was sidelined for the first two months of the season as he slowly worked his way back from offseason foot surgery.

Biegel grew up in Wisconsin Rapids, which is about 110 miles west of Green Bay. He starred in college at Wisconsin, playing outside linebacker on the other side of now-Pittsburgh Steelers rookie T.J. Watt.

The addition of Biegel was one of several moves today for the Packers, who continue to juggle the roster because of injuries. Safety Kentrell Brice and long snapper Taybor Pepper were placed on injured reserve, while undrafted rookie free agent cornerback Donatello Brown was activated from the practice squad. The Packers are going with their third long snapper of the season in rookie Jon Hart, who was signed today.

HOUSTON (AP) - Astros players were carried atop firetrucks in downtown Houston for a parade honoring their World Series title. The World Series trophy was carried by series MVP George Springer. He planted the trophy at the front of one of the trucks before they started down a route lined with tens of thousands of cheering fans. Four military jets soared above the sea of orange and blue T-shirts, jerseys, pennants and banners. The NASA T-38 jet aircraft are based at nearby Johnson Space Center.

Some fans were having difficulty getting into downtown, as Houston's public transit agency appeared overwhelmed by the crush of people using public transportation to attend the parade. City officials had urged people to use public transit because of heavy traffic and limited parking downtown. Transit officials said they were adding capacity. City officials also quickly extended the parade's route by a few blocks after more fans than expected poured into downtown.

UNDATED (AP) - Ichiro Suzuki's $2 million club option with the Miami Marlins has been declined, making the 44-year-old outfielder a free agent. It's the first major roster move by the Marlins since Derek Jeter's ownership group took over a month ago. Jeter and Suzuki were teammates with the New York Yankees. But the Marlins are expected to cut their payroll to about $90 million, and parting with Suzuki is just the start of an anticipated purge. He gets a $500,000 buyout.

In other major league news:

- Justin Upton's new $106 million, five-year contract with the Los Angeles Angels backloads money and will save the team more than $6 million next season and $4 million in 2019. He also receives a full no-trade provision. He gets an $8.5 million signing bonus that is payable on Jan. 21, 2022, and salaries of $16 million next season, $18 million in 2019, $21 million in 2020, $23 million in 2021 and $19.5 million in 2022.

- Kevin Reese has been promoted by the New York Yankees to senior director of player development, replacing Gary Denbo, who left last month to join the Miami Marlins. The 39-year-old Reese played 12 games for the Yankees in 2005-06. He was a professional scout from 2008-14, then spent the last three seasons as director of pro scouting.

- The Pittsburgh Pirates have exercised their $14.75 million option on star outfielder Andrew McCutchen. The 31-year-old, a five-time All-Star and the 2013 NL Most Valuable Player, signed a $51.5 million, six-year deal in 2012 that included the option, which had a $1 million buyout attached.

UNDATED (AP) - A federal appeals court says Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott can play in Sunday's home game against Kansas City. The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New York today temporarily blocked a lower-court ruling that required Elliott to begin serving a six-game suspension. It said its brief order does not constitute a resolution on the merits of the court case.

The suspension was imposed in August after the NFL investigated several alleged physical confrontations in the summer of 2016 with Elliott's girlfriend at the time

The NFL Players Association had asked the appeals court to let Elliott play Sunday while it considers the union's appeal. The NFL had opposed the union's request.

The 4-3 Cowboys are in second place in the NFC East.

In other NFL news:

- The Los Angeles Rams have placed safety Cody Davis on injured reserve. The fifth-year pro hasn't practiced since injuring his thigh nearly three weeks ago at Jacksonville. The injury depletes the Rams' depth at safety as they travel to face the New York Giants this weekend.

- The Jacksonville Jaguars will have running back Leonard Fournette and center Brandon Linder back in the starting lineup Sunday against Cincinnati. Fournette missed the team's last game at Indianapolis with a sprained right ankle. Linder sat out the last three games with an undisclosed illness.

- The Green Bay Packers have activated linebacker Vince Biegel from the reserve/physically unable to perform list. The rookie was sidelined for the first two months of the season as he slowly worked his way back from offseason foot surgery.

- The Dallas offensive line led by All-Pro left tackle Tyron Smith has been voted the top line in the NFL by an Associated Press panel. The Pittsburgh Steelers came in second and Philadelphia and Tennessee finished tied for third. The voting was done by Hall of Fame receiver James Lofton and 10 AP football writers.

- Four NFL head coaches are among 32 nominees, one from each NFL team, for the league's Salute to Service Award. Carolina's Ron Rivera, Tennessee's Mike Mularkey, Indianapolis' Chuck Pagano and Baltimore's John Harbaugh, the 2013 winner, were nominated Friday for the seventh annual award presented by USAA, the NFL's official military appreciation sponsor. Finalists will be announced in January.

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) - Dale Earnhardt Jr. says winning at Texas did amazing things for his NASCAR career. Earnhardt was 25 years old at Texas in 2000 when he won in the Cup Series for the first time. That was two years after he got his first victory in NASCAR's second-tier series at the same track.

With Earnhardt back in Texas for his last Cup race before he retires from full-time racing, track President Eddie Gossage rode a horse into the media center to recognize NASCAR's most popular driver. The horse wasn't his retirement gift, but the track is sponsoring a therapy horse in his name at a nearby center.

Gossage presented Earnhardt with the top of the electronic scoring pylon from his Cup victory, with the No. 1 spot lit up with number 8, his car number at the time. The track also gave Earnhardt and his wife, Amy, who are expecting a daughter, a pink stroller that is a small replica of a classic Chevy convertible.